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Toronto Thunderbirds Wiki
The Toronto Thunderbirds are a professional American football team and one of the 32 franchises of the National Football League (NFL). Based in Toronto Ontario, Canada the Thunderbirds are members of the East Division of the American Football Conference (AFC). Previously known as the Buffalo Bills, the team was re-located to Toronto for the start of the 2016-2017 season. As the Buffalo Bills, the team was owned by Ralph Wilson from the team's founding in 1960, until his death in 2014 at the age of 95. After his death, the team was sold to Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment and the ownership change was officially approved by the NFL in August 2015. Currently, the Thunderbirds play their home games at the Rogers Centre while construction is completed at a new stadium located in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga. The new stadium is expected to be completed by the start of the 2020 season. History As the Buffalo Bills, the team began competitive play in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League and joined the NFL as part of the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. The Bills won two consecutive American Football League titles in 1964 and 1965, but the club has not won a league championship since then. Once the AFL–NFL merger took effect, the Bills became the second NFL team to represent the city; they followed the Buffalo All-Americans, a charter member of the league. Buffalo had been left out of the league since the All-Americans (by that point renamed the Bisons) folded in 1929; the Bills were no less than the third professional non-NFL team to compete in the city before the merger, following the Indians/Tigers of the early 1940s and another team named the Bills in the late 1940s. Buffalo’s team in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) in 1946 was the Bisons. In 1947 a contest was held to rename the team, which was owned by James Breuil of the Frontier Oil Company. The winning entry suggested Bills, reflecting on the famous western frontiersman, Buffalo Bill Cody. Carrying the “frontier” theme further, the winning contestant further offered that the team was being supported by Frontier Oil and was “opening a new frontier in sports in Western New York.” When Buffalo joined the new American Football League in 1960, the name of the city’s earlier pro football entry was adopted. After the death of longtime owner Ralph Wilson, the team was sold the a consortium lead by Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment in 2015. The league approved the re-location applicable and the team was officially moved to Toronto and re-branded the Toronto Thunderbirds for the start of the 2016 season. Current Uniform The Thunderbolts uniforms in there inaugural season was voted on by the fans through various on-line polls and competitions. The team's colors are red, orange, black and white, and the helmets are black with no striping. 2016-2017 Season Toronto Thunderbirds Founded: 2016 City: Toronto, Ontario Canada Headquarters: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario Owner(s): Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. Chairman: Larry Tanenbaum President/CEO: Tim Leiweke General Manager: Doug Whaley Head Coach: Doug Marrone Team History * Buffalo Bills (1960–2015) * Toronto Thunderbirds (2016-present) Championships League championships (2) * AFL Championships (2) 1964, 1965 Conference championships (5) * AFC: 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 2015 Division championships (11) * AFL East: 1964, 1965, 1966 * AFC East: 1980, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 2015 Playoff appearances (18) * AFL: 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966 * NFL: 1974, 1980, 1981, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2015 Home Fields * War Memorial Stadium (1960–1972) * Ralph Wilson Stadium (1973–present) * Rogers Centre (2016-present) Category:Browse